Sacha Baron-Cohen's 'Bruno' Plays Voyeur at a Gay Orgy

"Cohen turned to a couple of pros for a sex scene in his forthcoming 'Bruno' in which he plays a flamboyant Austrian fashion journalist.Looking for actors who were willing to do full-frontal nudity, Cohen and director Dan Mazer called on David Forest, the go-to guy for gay adult stars. 'We auditioned about 10 actors,' says Forest. They finally settled on triple-X stars Paul Barba (usually billed as 'Tony Capucci') and John Martel (known to fans as 'Tyler Saint'). Cohen summoned Barba and Martel to the Aramano Hotel in Burbank. 'There's a scene where Bruno comes to the hotel with some guys,' Forest tells us. 'They're all trying to get Bruno to come upstairs for an orgy. Five guys are there. Two of them are my guys. Bruno apparently doesn't want to join the party, but he watches through the window. I'm told it's hilarious.' This isn't the first time Cohen has turned to Forest, who provided Borat with his "son" - a porn star known as Stonie, who's seen naked in photos with his 'dad.' Forest, who used to run one of the top Hollywood escort services, now gets so many calls from mainstream movie productions that his new agency, ForestCasting, is focusing on providing talent for scenes that less liberated actors won't do."

If anyone else other than an attractive white man moved in to film and to literally capitalize on a minority community such as this there would be a lot of upset people. Imagine if he tried to find humor in the Jewish or Muslim community, or an ethnic community, that would be un-PC/intolerable. Instead the gay community will probably flock to this movie to laugh at itself and not spend a NY minute to consider if it should let Sasha represent like this.

Posted by: Andy P | Nov 12, 2008 10:41:28 AM

Yeah this makes me nervous too. It seems like gays may end up portrayed as flighty fashion obsessed oversexed bitches. While some are, I'm against the stereotypical portrayal of gay men.

ANDY P, you must not be very familiar with Sasha Baron Cohen's work. He uses all of his characters, Ali G, Bruno, and Borat, to expose the racism and homophobia of the unwitting people in the skits. In his Borat movie, Sasha Baron Cohen, who is himself Jewish, famously got an entire bar in Texas to sing "Throw the Jew down the well, down the well" thereby exposing their anti-semitism. He used Bruno to expose the homophobia of a group of male college wrestlers on spring break. I feel sure his Bruno movie will capitalize on people's homophobia for comedic effect, not in a way that victimizes us, but in a way that shows the haters for who they are.

Posted by: peterparker | Nov 12, 2008 11:54:27 AM

Just my opinion, but I think Cohen is only doing another movie with another of his characters. Go ahead and be offended if you want to be offended, but I don't think that's what Cohen is trying to do. His character Bruno, along with Ali G and Borat, are purposely over-the-top so he can get reactions from other people. Ali G pointed out the ignorance and buffoonery of many politicians. Borat brought out a lot of ignorance, racism and phobias from the people he was around. And, it seems that Bruno possibly will point up the snobbery of the fashion world and the hatred of the pro 8 demonstraters among other things. I'm not a huge fan of Cohen but I don't think he's phobic or racist.

Posted by: basis4insanity | Nov 12, 2008 11:55:51 AM

I'll take 2 tall Capucci's with whip cream please...

Posted by: daveynyc | Nov 12, 2008 12:22:13 PM

David-Fucking-Forest? You mean the drugged-out convicted (for pimping) felon who sold his biz just before going into rehab and now returning to renege on the deal? Yeah, let's worry about SBC portraying the community in a bad light, and just look the other way when scum of the earth surface to help him.

Posted by: J² | Nov 12, 2008 12:46:08 PM

Tony Capucci is hot, but he fucked Jake Cruise raw! Yech!

Posted by: Nick | Nov 12, 2008 1:55:19 PM

I know, CRISPY. It will be so hard to protest the film's portrayal of gay men and then still want to watch Cappuci in this "orgy" scene. I will wear a disguise to the theater.

even though I am not too worried about developing a misconception about gay people as a whole based on stereotypes.

Casha Shohen or his movies or character will not change the public opinion of gays for the better. While he put K-stan on the map, did he move that country forward? or drop any of his millions in profit to make that country better?
He's exploiting gayface for one person only, Casha. Had he spent anytime as a youth struggling with his orientation or identity I might give him the time of day. While everyone is rallying around Prop 8, no one is calling SC on his gaysploytation movie. While we may laugh at a mincing, limp wristed comic and think he'll move our cause forward, moving into porn is just too far. it does not represent the gay agenda lifestyle at all. and if you tell me he's an = opp offender, I'll scream. blackface is not acceptable and neither is this.

Posted by: Andy P | Nov 12, 2008 2:57:03 PM

Andy P: Of course the issue with insider humor is the fact that it can be taken at face value when mainstreamed.

However, I think his educational background is relevant to his style of humor and the responsibility he feels for it.

From wikipedia:
Education
Sacha attended Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, a private school in Elstree. The same school was also attended by fellow Jewish comedians Matt Lucas and David Baddiel. He went on to Christ's College, Cambridge where he read history under Niall Ferguson and wrote his thesis on Jewish involvement in the American Civil Rights movement, with emphasis on the 1964 murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner in Mississippi.
At the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, Baron Cohen acted in plays such as Cyrano de Bergerac and Fiddler on the Roof, in which he played Tevye. His long-time collaborator Dan Mazer also attended the University of Cambridge and was a member of the Cambridge Footlights, and although Baron Cohen himself was not a member, he performed in at least one Footlights presentation as well as other shows (including singing the part of Guy Fawkes in the musical Gunpowder, Treason and Plot)

Posted by: Rey | Nov 13, 2008 12:11:01 AM

Do you guys even know who Sasha is or his work? Come on he is making fun of the people he takls to not the character, go rent the Ali G Show and see, how he uses the characters to trap people and how he preys on the ego and ignorance of the people he comes in contact with.

As much as I am a supporter of gay rights and the community in general, based on the times he's played this character in the past, I do not hink he is explointing gays in any way.

Posted by: Josh | Nov 13, 2008 3:35:21 PM

Anyone who derides SBC without knowledge of his previous work and pre-judges this film is as guilty as those who judge and discriminate against them.

Capucci is hot, but he is NO Leo Giamani!

Posted by: Thad | Nov 13, 2008 8:37:17 PM

I get what Sasha is trying to do, I understand the whole "let's laugh at the ignorant people" thing, however, people are that, ignorant, and they won't see they're being laughed at, they will see it as IF GAYS ARE BEING LAUGHED AT and all the homophobic behavior the movie will show (despite being "the joke") that being homophobic is OK when it's not. I will probably watch this, Im not going to lie, but to see people's reaction to homosexuality in general is going to hurt.

Posted by: NO | Nov 14, 2008 6:23:37 AM

got it. while i respect your opionions, i challenge any of you to find the lavender love after say the near riot Sasha caused after the 'wrestling match' turned gay. or maybe sasha will have some We are the World moment at the end of the film and will also note some pro gay groups that would help people with their homophobia. ps i have seen his work but did not bother w borat. maybe i have no sense of humor.